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Power Macintosh G4/867
November 23, 2001 | Eddie Park | |
So, should I get one or not? Without a doubt, the G4/867 is fast. Granted, it's no dual-800, but the processor itself is the fastest one currently available, the architecture is well orchestrated, and the addition of a GeForce 3 makes for one heck of a machine. In terms of gaming, it far outperforms my older 450. My scores on various online FPS games have gone up significantly since I started gaming with this machine. The increased fps along with the ability to play smoothly at higher resolutions, besides making a game look better, also allows for a higher frag count.It must be noted, however, that PCs with comparable speeds and hardware still tend to outperform Macs in the FPS realm. My PC-using friends have constantly let it be known to me that they run UT at 80+fps on their old 800 Mhz Athlons with GeForce 2 cards, and fps below 100+ in Q3 are unthinkable to them. They also note the price point, with their PCs being significantly cheaper than my Quicksilver. And more often than not, the catchphrase they are fond of is "yeah, it's pretty, but it can't play Counter Strike." Given the fact that the base price for an 867 is $2499, it's definitely not the cheapest computer on the block. However, for those of us that do more than just play games on our machines, the speed bump is well worth the extra expense. While working on my computer, I constantly flip back and forth between browser windows, writing programs, and authoring tools. iTunes 2 runs constantly in the background, and I typically attend at least one videoconference a day when telecommuting. The 867 performs all these tasks beautifully with nary a hiccup. In fact, ever since acquiring and installing OS 10.1, I have yet to see my computer crash.  |
How many of us, at work, have been on slower computers, cursing the fact that waiting for them to process multiple tasks only succeeds in curtailing our productivity? I probably waste at least an hour of time a day at my work-provided PC twiddling my thumbs, waiting for it to finish a process so I can get on with my work. On the days that I telecommute, however, the only thing slowing down my 867 is me, as my computer patiently waits for me to catch up to it as I attempt to juggle multiple tasks.It must be noted, too, that it's totally possible to sneak in games of Quake 3 on OS X while leaving a ton of working tasks open in the background. I've done this several times (purely for testing reasons, really), and Quake 3 takes only a minor performance hit. When I quit out of it, my other tasks are still running along smooth as silk, thanks to the extra power the 867 has to offer.
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